Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Nice hoppy wheat ale. Nice roasty malt nose and taste. Complex, flavorful beer. Reminds me of Little Sumpin' from Lagunitas. Original beer that I will not hesitate to try again in the future. (191 characters)

Flying Monkeys Stereovision brewed by Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery with an ABV of 5.5% This brew pours out a nice amber color with a small white head.Flying Monkeys Stereovision is a Filtered brew you can see right though it. This is different from most wheat brews I had because it is filtered. The smell is rich with grains and some bitterness. The taste of this brew is different. It real smooth with a touch of bitterness at the end. It's almost like a light brew. The mouthfeel is nice with no bad aftertaste. This brew goes down nice with clean finish. Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery did a nice job with this brew. Overall I'm giving this brew a 4 out 5 I would buy this brew again. (687 characters)

Reddish-amber colour, solid ring of white head, decent retention and a nice amount of lace. Smell is quite hoppy, some citrus and a bit of pine, malt is a bit biscuity and toasted, wheaty as well as it opened up. Taste is hoppy with nice toasted grain flavours, wheat and citrus, some earthy notes come across as well, citrusy aftertaste. Medium carbonation and body, decent feel, carbonation a bit too prickly. A nice easy drinking beer that seems to work pretty well, something I would revisit gladly. (503 characters)

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled on 9/3/2014. Pours lightly hazy deep golden color with a 2 finger dense and rocky off white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of lemon, orange peel, pear, light banana, wheat, toasted biscuit, light caramel, herbal, floral, light pepper, light pine, and yeast earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance of fruity yeast, pale/bready malt, and earthy hop notes; with good strength. Taste of lemon, orange peel, pear, light banana, wheat, toasted biscuit, light caramel, herbal, floral, light pepper, light pine, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Fair amount of pine/spicy pepper bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of lemon, orange peel, pear, light banana, wheat, toasted biscuit, light caramel, light pepper/pine, and herbal/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Damn nice balance and robustness of fruity yeast, pale/bready malt, and earthy hop notes; with a great malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, crisp, and lightly sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with zero warming present after the finish as expected of 5%. Overall this is a very nice hoppy pale wheat ale style. All around good balance and robustness of fruity yeast, pale/bready malt, and earthy hop flavors; and very smooth and crisp to drink. A very enjoyable offering. (1,532 characters)

T - This has a nice hop bill. It hit with a hop combo right away, low caramel malt, aftertaste goes away quick. This is hard to described as it is billed an 'american krystal wheat', it reminds me very much of Great Lakes Miami Weiss.

M - Very light mouth feel. Hops rush over the tongue, but it nicely balanced.

O: I enjoyed this beer, I would defiantly buy it again. (486 characters)

On tap at Volo, tap takeover. More IPA than the wheat advertised, although the latter does bulk up and smooth out the mouthfeel. A decent bitterness, a good summer beer,Mild amber colour and a small significant head. Worth a try.i had it again at Get Well pub and it was a clean drinkable product, prickly carbonation.Not so bitter, a decent American amber. (358 characters)

355 mL bottle taken from a six-pack picked up at the LCBO; bottled Sept. 24 2013 and listed at an even 5%. I've tried this beer on multiple occasions in the past, but this is the first opportunity I've had to sit down and review it. Served well-chilled.

Pours a foggy golden-amber colour, topped with one finger of frothy, off-white head that slowly dies down over a period of minutes. Eventually, a soapy cap and collar are all that remains at the surface, with a narrow band of lacing left to adhere to the glass. The aroma is approachable but straightforward - bready malts, caramel, orange citrus, and some grassy, earthy hops, with a touch of banana becoming detectable as the liquid warms. Not bad at all.

This is a nice, light, highly drinkable ale, though its construction is highly unimaginative compared to most FM offerings. Bready, biscuity pale malts and caramel sweetness comprise the backbone, but remain deftly balanced with the mild citrus and light, leafy earthiness of the hops. Fairly dry aftertaste, with some weak bitterness that does not linger at all. Light-bodied and quite fizzy - in fact, a little overcarbonated for my tastes - but all-in-all this is a very quaffable American-style wheat ale that tastes pretty good and goes down smoothly.

Final Grade: 3.74, a B. Stereo Vision is far from the most creative beer in the Flying Monkeys portfolio, which is a little disappointing given how much they play up the 'unique hybrid of multiple beer styles' angle on the packaging. That being said, it's still a serviceable wheat ale that has grown on me for some strange reason - I've bought this before and will likely do so again. Worth a try if you're in the market for a sessionable pale ale with a less-aggressive hop bill than your average APA. (1,775 characters)

The bubbles are just peppy enough to carry this thing through, the body medium-light in weight, and actually fairly smooth, the graininess doing us all a solid here. It finishes rather dry, the wheat, yeast, and hops all minutely contributing, though their collective pull is enough to seal this one's fate.

While hardly in the same bravado-heavy league as most of this brewery's more prominent offerings, I think that should be duly taken into consideration here. What other Canadian made (if sadly misnamed) 'Kristall wheat ales' can you name? Right, Grasshopper - and Stereovision stomps the holy green guts out of that venerable Prairie staple. So, grain of salt sucked back, and I'm just a bit put off that I got this just as snow is being predicted for the coming weekend. (1,478 characters)

O - A tasty brew and a unique style. The flavour profile is unique and is certainly growing on me. I could easily see myself consuming a few of these in a single sitting. An easy drinking summer ale whose hybrid style makes for a memorable experience. (706 characters)

I picked up a bottle of Flying Monkey's Stereovision last week for $1.99 at Boyne Country Provisions. This one caught my eye and I'm interested to see how it turns out. No visible bottling date. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a imperial pint glass.

A- The label looks nice, it's got a nice design and it's a little eye catching. It poured a pretty clear orange amber color that took on more of orange color when held to the light with finger and half worth of white head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and it left a little bit of spotty lacing behind. This is a pretty nice looking beer, I have no complaints.

S- The aroma starts off with a lower amount of sweetness with some grainy pale malts being the first to show up along with some doughy yeast and some sweet malts also showing up. Up next comes a grassy and earthy hop aroma followed by a noticeable wheat aroma. This beer had a nice aroma that seemed to be true to style.

T- The taste seems to be very similar to the aroma and it starts off with a lower amount of medium sweetness with the grainy and pale malts still being the first to show up, but this time there's a little bit of a biscuit malt aspect with some doughy yeast still showing up in the background. Up next comes the hops which impart the same aspects that they did in the aroma, but this time they are lighter. On the finish there's hardly any bitterness with a grainy malt aftertaste. This is a nice tasting beer, it's a little bland, but it is true to style.

M- Smooth, just a little crisp, on the very light side of being medium bodied with a lighter amount of medium carbonation. The mouthfeel is decent, but it could use a little more carbonation.

Overall I thought this was a nice beer and a nice example of the style, it had pretty much all the aspects that I look for, but it still ended up being a little bland. This beer had ok drinkability, I think one is enough, anymore than that and I might get bored with it. What I like the most about this beer is the appearance and how true to style it is. What I like the least about this beer is the mouthfeel, it could use a little more carbonation. I might buy this beer again when in the mood for the style and while it's not a must try beer it's worth trying if you like the style. All in all this beer wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either, it came close to falling right in the middle. It's no a favorite from this brewery and it's just a little above average for the style. Nice job guys, it's nice to see a brewery tackle this style. (2,579 characters)

Appearance - Slightly hazy light copper colour with an average size fizzy off-white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing and there is some faintt lacing. The head lasted for around 2-3 minutes.

Smell - Hops, malts, grass, caramel

Taste & Mouth - There is a high amount of carbonation and I can taste caramel, malts and hops. There is also some very faint grapefruit, and some grassy notes. It ends with a malty sweet aftertaste with a bit of a hop bitterness.

Overall – A very drinkable beer with just enough flavour to keep it interesting. I can see this working well as a session beer or a warm weather refresher. I'd like a touch less carbonation. (724 characters)

355 ml bottle poured into a weizen glass. This brew is supposed to be a hoppier take on the American wheat style according to the label. It is not a kristall weissbier despite the name, which is A-OK in my book. A gold amber brew like dark honey with ample beige head, I get a rich wheat spiciness on the nose with a little caramel, a light fruitiness that recalls red berries, and green grassy hops that recall a well-hopped pilsener. Tastes crisp and clean ... A no-frills wheat spice, the aforementioned grassy hops, root vegetable, hints of caramel, nuts, white grape and dry cacao powder which are initially hard to discern, a touch of lemon and orange rind. Mostly I taste dry cereal and an earthy white pepper spice. Not getting much banana in this, nor should I. This is not a weissbier and I assume the brew is attenuated via a standard ale yeast. The sweet caramel note does reveal more of itself as you go and overall the flavor profile does build over time. Admittedly, these sorts of ultra-clean wheat beers are not really my style. The carbonation is too aggressive and I was hoping for something chewier. I do enjoy the noble hop flavors and the pleasant acidic tang. No regrets but I will not be a repeat customer. (1,230 characters)

Poured into a weizen/pils glass, a copperish light brown colour with a good white head and quite a lot of active carbonation, beer is very clear. Has good retention and lacing though.

S - crisp. Some grassy hops and graininess. Mild spices, some of the wheatiness comes in on the background with some bananas, but overall this is fairly bland and grainy.

T - steps ups a bit with some immediate fruitiness, pears and bananas, some more full malty aspects with a chewy banana aspect, strong wheaty body with creamy vanilla, lots of graininess still, tends more toward grassy notes on the finish. Finish is dry, a bit sour, and has some lingering noble hops.

M - Quite light, but with a distinct wheaty creaminess, quite a bit of stripping carbonation to attempt to balance that. Feels a bit muddled. Obviously it was intended to be a quenching refresher, it is a bit full for that, like chewing down on a lot of (underipe) bananas. Drinkable but not inspiring.

Overall, middle of the road, this could use some adjustment to tame the wheat and bring out some of the more complex hopped notes that are added and lurking below the surface. Mouthfeel is quite thick, but overall this is quite an enjoyable beer, a different take at least, and has some potential but this falls short. (1,283 characters)

The first bottle of this 6-pack was dotted with bubbles up and down and side to side. This last bottle is similarly freckled, albeit now with suspended yeast sediment that was not apparent before. Either way, I don't think this brassy beer quite displays the "funky new clarity" it promises (though in truth I've no idea what that's supposed to be).

Let's get something out of the way right off the bat: 'American kristall wheat' is a silly, frankly nonsensical term. Is it an American-style wheat or German-style Kristallweizen? Because it doesn't have the hops to register as the former and doesn't have the yeastiness to qualify for the latter. I'm not even so sure it's filtered (which is the defining feature of true Kristall).

Like 'Hoptical Illusion', this ale's hop profile is pleasant but wimpy. The hushed notes of citrus and grass would likely have gone unnoticed were the malts not themselves so slender. The yeast isn't carrying German papers; banana esters and clove-like phenols are nowhere to be found.

It's hard to find much of any wheat in the taste; biscuity, very lightly toasted pale malt dominates on the palate. There are minor but perceptible orange-y and floral notes but they're too wimpy to dry out the taste, which ends up finishing on a sweet note. Taking away from the grassy texture also is the fact that this is crisply carbonated in a lager kind of way.

It seems that with Flying Monkeys if it's not one thing, it's the other: either very humdrum, take-it-or-leave-it, workaday beers (Antigravity Light, Amber Ale) or it's over-the-top, extreme, eccentric offerings (Super Collider and Cedar-Aged Matador DIPAs). Where does this fit? Let's just say Stereovision doesn’t make my board unless you spell it B-O-R-E-D. (1,757 characters)

Appearance - 2-3 Fingers of frothy white head that sticks around for a few minutes, leaving behind a moderate amount of lacing. The beer is a golden-copper like colour. For a supposedly kristal wheat beer its surprisingly cloudy. Not as cloudt as say...a good hefe. But there is still a decent haze to it.

Taste - Overload of biscuit and bread. The citrus and fruit notes are there but are pretty understood. Bitterness is more or less non-existant.

Mouthfeel - A decent body. Medium? Maybe even a little heavy for the style. Unobtrusive carbonation. Not shabby. Not shabby at all.

Overall - 3/5 Side note - What kind of beer is this anyways? Doesn't seem like a wheat beer (let alone a kristalweizen!), nor does it seem like an amber ale. Made it difficult to review this for style. I guess its unique if nothing else. (1,009 characters)

Flying Monkeys Stereovision from Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery, my first of this style of brew. Poured from the bottle into a glass, the 1/16 or smaller finger thick head goes away rather hastily. Clear, golden straw body with decent lacing.

Smells like ever-so-slightly roasted malt. Certainly far from other wheat oriented brews I've experienced thus far. Not a light scent, but not robust; fairly neutral as the rating implies.

I taste malt or some kind of sweeter characteristic. Balancing hop bitterness is well masked, but its there somehow. I'm kind of thrown off-guard by this. I guess its alright. All in all, its a lighter taste.

Mouthfeel here is light and crisp. Quite refreshing, actually.

Overall a 3 for Flying Monkeys Stereovision from Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery. It was my first American dark wheat brew and will hopefully have introduced me to yet another style I'll enjoy. I may buy this again, we'll see. (933 characters)

Bottle: Poured a medium amber color ale with a medium size foamy head with average retention. Aroma of grainy wheat malt notes with some grassy floral hops. Taste is a mix between light dry caramel malt with some wheat notes and light residual sugar mix in with some grassy hops. Body is average with good carbonation. I’m not sure what the intent was but I really did not dog the mix between hops and fruity wheat malt and the caramel notes. (444 characters)

After that, very macro-ish, nothing special about it. Sweet, corny nose. Also drinks sweet, with a slightly dry metallic finish. No noticeable wheat character. Nothing about this would make me go out of my way to find it.